The Radiobiology of In Vitro Neoplastic Transformation

Abstract

The carcinogenic properties of ionizing radiation became evident within a few years of the discovery of X-rays by Roentgen, when the development of cancer in radiation ulcerations of the skin was observed in a number of early radiation workers. This phenomenon has since been confirmed in many cellular and animal models, in which it has been shown that radiation will induce cancer in most tissues of most mammalian species. Despite these observations, however, the molecular mechanisms for this effect remain obscure.

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